Vegetable-cutter.



J, E. GLOEKLER & A. B. STAHL.

VEGETABLE CUTTER.

' Patented Dec. 21, 1909. 2 snnms-snnnw 1.

TTED STATES 1FATENT GFFTCE.

JOHN EDWARD GLOEKLEB AND ALFRED B. STAI-IL, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

VEGETABLE-CUTTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 21, 1909.

Application filed July 28, 1909. Serial No. 510,125.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN EDWARD Gnonlinnn and Anrnnl) B. STAIIL, citizens of the United States, residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Imn-ovements in Vegetable-Cutters, of which the following is a specification.

Our present invention has to do with vegetable cutters; and it contemplates the provision of a simple and easily operated device through the medium of which ears of corn may be quickly and easily cut into short lengths by a waiter serving a table, so that the portions of corn may be conveniently handled incidental to the eating thereof.

l Vith the foregoing in view our corn cutter invention will be fully understood from the following description and' claim when the same are considered conjunctively with the drawings, accompanying and forming part of this specification, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective View illustrating the cutter with the knife in its uppermost position. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the cutter with the knife in its lowermost position. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 4 is a transverse section showing the knife in its uppermost position, and also showing by dotted lines an ear of corn. Fig. 5 is a detail vertical section taken in a plane parallel to Fig. 4, and showing the catch for holding the knife in its upper position under normal conditions that is to say, until the knife is subjected to downward pressure or stress.

Similar letters designate corresponding parts in all of the views of the drawings, referring to which:

A is the base of the cutter, which is preferably made of metal in the general configuration illustrated, and is designed to be nickel-plated or otherwise embellished to make it a tit adjunct for a guest table in a nicely appointed dining room. The upper side or top of the base A is concave in crosssection, as indicated by a, to form a cradle for the reception of an ear of corn, Fig. 1, and in the said base are provided transverse kerfs Z) which may be arranged equidistant or at different distances apart in the discretion of the party practicing our invention.

Fixed with respect to opposite ends of the base A and extending above the said base are uprights B, one of which is provided adjacent its upper end with a stop 0. The other upright is provided adjacent its upper end with a stop a that terminates in a depending resilient portion (Z having at its lower end an inwardly directed toe c, from which it follows that the said stop 0" is adapted to serve the additional function of a -atch the office of which will be hereinafter set forth.

The knife of our novel cutter is designed to move upwardly and donuiwardly on the uprights B, and by comparison of the several figures of the drawings, it will be observed that the said knife comprises end members C, longitudinal bars D extending between and fixed to the said end members, and transverse blades 16 carried by and spaced apart on the longitudinal bars D, as by sleeve sections F, and having, by preference, angular cutting edges f, the latter to enable the blades to make drawn and consequently easy and finished cuts.

The end members 0 are preferably extended longitudinally outward to form convenient handles 9 for the raising of the knife and also for the downward pressing thereof, and by reference to Fig. 5 it will be seen that one end member C is also provided with a depression h complen'ientary to and adapted to receive the toe 0 of the before-mentioned catch, this in order to yieldingly retain the knife as a whole in its elevated position.

In the practical use of the cutter and while the knife is maintained in the elevated position shown in Figs. 1 and 4, an ear of cooked corn is placed in the cradle a of the base A and longitudinally of said base. Downward pressure is thereupon imposed on the hamdles g of the knife, and consequently it follows that the knife will be disengaged from the catch on one of the uprights, and the blades of the knife will be forced through the ear of corn and into the kcrfs Z) of the base A. In this way the ear of corn will. be divided into short lengths which may be transferred from the cradle of the base to a dish. By manipulation of the knife of the cutter in the manner described, a number of ears of corn may be divided into short lengths in a short period of time and with but little effort on the part of the waiter. It will also be understood that when the uprights and other parts of the cutter are polished or otherwise kept in neat and clean condition, the cutter is calculated to enhance rather than detract from the neat appearance of a nicely appointed dining room.

It will be gathered from the foregoing that incidental to the downward movement of the cutter, and as soon as the cutting blades engage an ear of corn on the base, the ear of corn will be confined between the depending side portions of the blades and also between the blades and the base, and in consequence the ear of corn will be effectually prevented from flying or moving laterally. \Vhen, however, the cutting blades have passed to their lowermost positions, they will rest entirely below the ear of corn, and the lengths of the latter will be left in the cradle of the base from whence they may be readily removed.

Having described our invention, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

The combination in a corn cutter, of a base having an upper side concave in crosssection and also having a plurality of transverse lterfs at intervals of its length extending downwardly from said side, uprights fixed with respect to and rising from the end portions of the base, a resilient catch 011 the upper portion of one of the uprights, and a rectilinearly movable cutter comprising end members slidable up and down on the said uprights; one of the said end members being provided with means adapted 0n upward movement of the cutter to be engaged with the catch and also adapted when the cutter is forcibly moved downward to be released by said forcible movement from the catch, and blades connected with the end members and alined with the transverse kerfs in the base and having; depending portions at opposite sides of the longitudinal center of the cutter, whereby the blades are enabled to make drawn cuts and prevent lateral displacement of an ear of corn from the base.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN EDVARD GLOEKLER. ALFRED B. STAHL.

lVitnesses H. SIOKLER, F. D. VAN VEOHTEN. 

